The Andes are often understood as a continuous mountain range, yet they encompass a wide range of climates and ecosystems. In Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile, páramos, dry highlands, temperate valleys, and snow-covered landscapes can exist within relatively short distances of one another. As elevation changes, so do temperature, solar radiation, humidity, wind, vegetation, and topography, producing environments that require different ways of building.

Unlike many mountain regions where cold is the defining environmental condition, high-altitude environments in the Andes combine several climatic conditions at once. As elevation increases, solar radiation becomes more intense. Some regions remain humid throughout the year, while others experience prolonged dry seasons. In many places, steep terrain, snow, and changing weather patterns become additional factors that influence how buildings are designed.

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With more than 11,000 years of history, brick is one of the oldest building materials. In fact, replacing sun-dried mud blocks, the Romans were the first to experiment with fired clay masses in new structural forms such as arches, vaults, and domes. Although the dimensions and manufacturing methods of this small module have evolved over the years, its components and classic rectangular shape have undergone few changes, especially considering its long history. The reason is simple: with its warmth, versatility, and outstanding structural properties, brick is a timeless material that never goes out of style.

The National Architecture Award of Chile is presented by the Colegio de Arquitectos (Architects Association) to recognize "a lifetime dedicated to the service of architecture," according to the organization. First awarded in 1969, the inaugural recipient was Juan Martínez, architect of landmark projects such as the Law School at the University of Chile and the Votive Temple of Maipú.

As in previous years, Chile's Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage has organized the exhibition of Testimonial Spaces, the country's most recent national pavilion presented at the 2021 Venice Biennale, in the lobby of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Parque Forestal (Santiago), making it accessible to the local public.

Although the ministry's open call for each biennale typically focuses on the design of a pavilion, the brief specifies that the selected curator will be responsible for developing both a curatorial concept and an architectural proposal. Certainly, in a contemporary context, the notion of a pavilion is a highly malleable category, making the distinction established in the guidelines particularly intriguing: while a curatorial concept should clearly be associated with some relevant architectural framework, it is not necessarily an architectural proposal in and of itself.

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The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo announced today the curators of the Brazilian Pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale, scheduled to open on May 23. The exhibition will be designed by the firm Arquitetos Associados (comprising Alexandre Brasil, André Luiz Prado, Bruno Santa Cecília, Carlos Alberto Maciel, and Paula Zasnicoff) alongside visual designer Henrique Penha.

From the competition for the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center to the competition for the restoration of Palacio Pereira, architectural competitions have enabled the design and construction of many iconic buildings in Chile's history. To recognize architectural competitions as a platform for professionals and students to not only showcase their creativity and skills, but also to secure the preliminary design that best meets a building's requirements, we have selected some of Chile's most successful architectural competition results.

The New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) gained worldwide attention in 2002 with the Blur Building, designed for that year's Swiss Expo. The volume was formed by 35,000 high-pressure nozzles that sprayed water from the lake below, creating a massive artificial cloud. Its shape, boundaries, colors, and translucency shifted with the sun and wind, offering visitors an immersive experience as they entered a fully permeable volume. Ten years later, Carla Juaçaba and Bia Lessa designed Humanidade2012 for the Rio+20 United Nations Conference, where several programmatic volumes were arranged within a massive scaffolding structure. With more voids than solids, its edges dematerialized into the sky, and at night the volumes appeared to float. According to the architects, “the very movement of people through the building turned visitors into exhibits when seen from afar.” Despite differences in scale and context, both temporary projects succeed in working with notions of translucency, lightness, the dissolution of boundaries, and movement.

Everything built through human physical and intellectual labor carries meaning. It is within physical matter that we find the remains of ancient civilizations, and through these records, we understand their characteristics, the technologies involved, and their social organization. Cities and major urban centers hold layers upon layers of events recorded in their streets, buildings, plazas, and parks. Often, depending on the development of the place, this evidence is gradually erased, disregarded, and altered. 

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Alejandro Aravena was in Florianópolis last week, invited by the 2019 NCD Summit to speak on Social Architecture. Founder of the "do tank" ELEMENTAL, the 2016 Pritzker Laureate gave an overview of his work, spanning diverse project typologies, while highlighting the processes that led to the adopted solutions. Before his lecture, Aravena spoke exclusively with ArchDaily Brasil. Read the interview below:

The Venice Architecture Biennale is arguably one of the most influential exhibitions in the world. Established in 1895 as the "Venice International Art Exhibition," the Biennale has become one of the most prominent cultural institutions worldwide, serving as a universal platform for nations to showcase their work. Consequently, every two years, the global spotlight turns to Venice.

Aiming to internationalize emerging architectural production in Latin America, the Latin American Architecture Biennale (BAL 2019) has announced the practices selected to participate in the next edition of the event, which will take place in September 2019 in Pamplona, Spain.

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In 1979, CHC opened its doors as a toilet seat manufacturer in Chile. The company took its first steps manufacturing these under the Europa brand, later adding Delfin Coatings industrial paints, followed by bathroom fixtures from the Spanish brand Roca. During the 1980s, public restrooms in Chile used products designed for residential use, leading to frequent failures and a poor reputation. This unmet need opened the door to importing specialized products from the US and Italy to improve the country's public restrooms. Years later, CHC innovated by designing products specifically for the Chilean market. It developed the Wasser brand, introducing new fixtures to homes and buildings, such as whirlpool tubs, prefabricated furniture, bathroom partitions, shower trays, laminated glass screens, and cabins, among others.

During the 2000s, aiming to offer comprehensive solutions, the company added ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, vinyl and laminate flooring, sports surfaces, and ventilated facades to its portfolio, incorporating more than 20 renowned brands based in Spain, Italy, and Brazil.

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The Venice Architecture Biennale is an event organized by the Italian State that brings together some of the world's most prestigious international architecture exhibitions. The Giardini and the Arsenale serve as the event's main venues. These spaces have hosted various exhibitions, national pavilions, and collateral events spread throughout Venice.

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When we speak of passive climate control, we refer to techniques that, with little to no energy consumption, create the appropriate temperature, humidity, and air quality conditions for comfort and habitability, partially or fully replacing active mechanical systems. Typically, these strategies are based on natural environmental parameters—such as air currents, the earth's thermal stability, and solar paths, among others—to regulate heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, achieving optimal thermal comfort.

This is not a book about architecture; rather, it is a book about a territory—a territory in Chile, within the Metropolitan Region, shaped by a mountain range, a river, and a valley.

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